Whichever you call them, they are among the items served at Zaidi's Indian Tandoor Restaurant, which opened Aug. 15 at 232 Harrsion St. It's in the same block as the Ale 'n Angus Pub, in a spot formerly occupied by Mangia Pizzeria.

The concept of Indian Tandoor is quick service food for busy downtowners, Zaidi said.

But that doesn't mean fast-food: The centerpiece of the restaurant is the cylindrical tandoor oven, used throughout southern and central Asia to bake flatbreads like naan and paratha, and meats like chicken and lamb that can be served as kabobs. and some vegetarian items, too.

Both kabobs and the breads are on the Indian Tandoor menu, along with the kathi rolls, which are flatbreads wrapped around fillings, which are also often cooked in the tandoor..

Those fillings include Achari Aloo, potato cubes cooked in fennel and other spices; Chana Masala, chickpeas cooked with tomato, onions and Indian spices; Paneer Tikka, Indian cheese marinated in spices; and Seekh Kabab; minced lamb marinated in onions and spices.

The restaurant also features two biryanis, which are dishes made with saffron-flavored basmati rice. There is a chicken biryani and a vegetable biryani.

Biryanis are found all across India, and the ones at Indian Tandoor are in the style of the city of Hyderabad, where the ingredients are arranged in layers, rather than being mixed up with the rice..

"The sides are sealed to keep the flavors in," Zaidi said.

The restaurant also features an Indian soda called Thumbs Up, several milkshakes and drinks made with Indian yogurt called lassi. The yogurt is made in house.

Indian Tandoor has seating and does take-out business. It's open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. Call 565-4099.